Call for Applications: Funding for Media Defence Centre in South East Asia

Eligibility:

• • The grant is open to NGOs and law centres registered and operating in a country in South East Asia;
  • The organisation must have a background or demonstrable interest in litigation and/or provision of legal support;
  • The organisation should have previous experience in the advancement and protection of freedom of expression in its country;
  • The organisation must have sufficient administrative and financial capacity to comply with Media Defence’s reporting requirements;
  • Media Defence will not fund activities without a direct link to litigation or provision of legal support and will give a higher priority to proposals showing the best value for money per legal case

• Funding amount: Up to GBP 25,000
• Type of funding: Programmatic
• Target countries: Global
• Application languages: English

Media Defence is a charity, based in London, which provides legal help to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media across the world. Media Defence’s vision is a world where journalists no longer face legal challenges that threaten their ability to report freely and independently on issues of public interest, allowing citizens to be better informed, able to hold those in power to account. Media Defence’s mission is to ensure legal protection of journalists and media workers under threat for reporting on issues of public interest, in the belief that freedom of expression is essential.

As part of our work to help build a strong global legal defence network for independent media, Media Defence provides financial assistance to organisations that have or wish to establish a legal aid unit. Currently, Media Defence can only fund a small number of organisations. Our aim is to expand this network and achieve better local-level access to legal assistance for independent media outlets, journalists and bloggers who lack the financial means to access legal support at commercial rates. Given its conditions for media freedom, Media Defence aims to expand its support to one country in South East Asia for these activities.

Objectives

We are offering one 12-month grant of up to GBP 25,000 to organisations with backgrounds in defending and supporting the right to freedom of expression. The grants can be used to set up a media legal defence unit which provides pro bono legal support to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media and/or coordinates networks of lawyers to do the same The grant funds cannot be applied for strategic litigation or to cases of access to public information.Media Defence is available to provide legal mentoring, capacity building, and other forms of non-financial organisational support.

Learn more and apply here.